The Link Between Japanese Samurai and Real Indigo

Real indigo-dyed clothing is not like the blue you know. Richer than the chemical blues used on most fabrics today, real indigo dye comes from a plant and has a surprising range of qualities: on fabric it is antibacterial, flame resistant and repels odor and dirt. With roots in Japanese culture dating back to the 1600s, indigo-dyed fabrics were worn under the armor of samurais to help keep bacteria from wounds. Today, five farmers keep the tradition of growing indigo alive in Tokushima, Japan.

Great Big Story shares how these farmers are continuing the craft of dyeing and screenprinting with indigo, known as aizome (藍染め) in Japanese, a centuries-old tradition that might go as far back as the 6th or 7th century.

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Jim Woodward is a lampist. A what, you ask? A lampist's main job is to keep the enormous, delicate glass lenses of lighthouse lights in tip-top shape so that ships at sea stay safe. But over the years, glass lenses ha...

Inside Rivolta Carmignani in Macherio, just north of Milan, the Rivolta family has been weaving and stitching fine hotel and restaurant linens for five generations. This bonus scene from the Anthony Bourdain-produced ...

Yuasa, a small coastal town in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, is a fishing port and the producer of one of Japan’s most well known mandarin oranges, the Arida mikan. But a stroll through the traditional streets, includin...

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